Lotte Tours is conducting a review of the Gaesong tour project that North Korea officially offered to the company in writing last month. A Lotte Tours official said North Korea faxed an offer to host a meeting to discuss the Gaesong tour project on September 13th.

He said the North clarified in the fax message that there was no longer any need to discuss the tour project with Hyundai Asan. The message indicates that the North’s exclusion of Hyundai from the Gaesong tour project is very likely.

Lotte Tours has not responded to the North’s offer, considering Hyundai’s position.

However, the travel agency says it will actively discuss the project under the condition that the North follows international business rules and principles of market economy.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Asan, Hyundai Group’s subsidiary in charge of its businesses in North Korea, stated it has exclusive rights to the Gaesong tour project.

Now that approximately a month has passed since the North sent the fax message to Lotte, Hyundai said it is unclear what the North may have in mind now concerning the project.